A court in Lebanon has made a historic ruling stating same-sex relations are NOT “contradicting the laws of nature” and cannot therefore be considered a crime. The judge threw out a case brought against a transgender woman by the Lebanese state on January 28, 2014 but only published today.

Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code prohibits having sexual relations that are “contradicting the laws of nature,” which is punishable by up to a year in prison. However, Lebanese LGBT organization, “Helem” argued that, “Homosexuality is an exception to …

A week ago, I was fortunate enough to attend Creating Change 2014, organized by the Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Houston, Texas. Although this was my second time attending this conference, my excitement was surprisingly higher than last year’s, thanks to this year’s keynote speaker being Laverne Cox. I have become a huge fan of Cox the moment I saw her on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black (if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out big time). Ever since, I started following her on social media …

I’m sure I’m not the only one all anxious this morning, waiting for the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA and Prop8. But thankfully, I came across this cartoon by Christopher Weyant from The New Yorker and it drew a smile on my face. No matter the outcome, gay and lesbian Americans can and will lead happy lives. If God-forbid, things don’t go as well as we hope, the LGBT community and our allies will not back down and will not stop fighting for equal rights. Here’s a hug …

Same-sex relations in the Arab world have always been part of human interactions and are manifested in various literary accounts, especially poetry. Centuries ago, Arab poets used to openly flaunt their young male lovers in their works, in a similar way to Greek pederasty. This practice, however, started diminishing once scholars of the region started visiting Europe during the nineteenth century and were surprised that the Europeans were not as vocal about same-sex relationships as they were. As a result of these kinds of interactions, people of the region …

Quick comment RE: some of the upsetting posts I’ve been coming across today on various social media platforms

I get it. I TOTALLY get it. Marriage is an outdated institution. Allowing same sex marriage will not directly lead to equal rights for all. And the list goes on. But this is absolutely NOT the right time for anyone who believes in human rights (especially fellow LGBT members) to throw stones on our path to become more equal citizens. As the saying goes, “If you don’t have something nice …

This is a HUGE week for the LGBT community in the US. Rulings on California’s Proposition 8 and DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) will have massive implications for same-sex couples nationwide.

Tuesday, March 26, the Supreme Court will decide whether California’s Proposition 8 violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause that “no state shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Wednesday, March 27, United States v. Windsor will challenge the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which states that …

I have seen this post circulate on Facebook and loved its message. I apologizing for not crediting it since I am not sure who put it together. There is absolutely no way to sugar coat the rape stories that are happening today and we should keep doing our great work loud and proud until we no longer hear about these savage crimes happening in our world. It is about time we teach our fellow humans NOT TO RAPE. Full Stop.…

For those who are not really sure where Lebanon is located, it is on the east coast of the Mediterranean and is bordered by Syria (north and east) and Palestine/Israel (south). It is in the Middle East so feel free to assume that all the homophobia one expects to find in that part of the world holds true for Lebanon too. Or maybe not.

I have decided to dedicate this blog to discuss the LGBT reality in Lebanon because this country is very dear to me. To start, …

Last weekend, I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending the twenty-fifth Creating Change conference. For those who are not familiar with Creating Change, it is the biggest national conference on LGBT equality in the US and receives over 2,000 attendees each year. The conference is organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which is an American nonprofit organization with the mission to build the grassroots power of the LGBT community. Creating Change takes place over a long weekend during which sessions are held to explore various issues that …